Thursday, October 14, 2010

The Walter Reed site IS Metro-accessible!

Why do somanyof the articles and blog posts that mention the new Walter Reed plan claim that the site is Metro-inaccessible when the Takoma Metro station is only five blocks away, down Dahlia Street?

I've attended all of the WR redevelopment meetings, and one point that I've made several times to the planners is that pedestrian access from the Dahlia Street side of the Takoma Metro station should be improved. The reason people think the WR site is soooo far from the Metro is that there isn't an exit that leads straight to Dahlia Street. Adding such an exit onto the current Metro station would make pedestrian access easy, and provide better traffic for the new development at the Walter Reed site.

It really wouldn't make that much difference, distance-wise, from the existing exit.

And it would probably have to come out on Spring Place or Chestnut street - which are effectively an alley and a small residential street, respectively - - or somehow go up to Piney Branch, which becomes farther from Walter Reed.

Either way, Takoma's existing exit isn't far from Walter Reed (I count six 'real' blocks). Not worth the expense for a one block difference.

I think the Takoma metro is not too far from WR some days for some people. I walk from Takoma to 16th street when the bus is way overdue and I can't wait anymore.

The problem is that 6 blocks is a bit much with shopping bags, kids or the elderly in tow. Then you have to take the aforementioned semi-unreliable bus. This is likely to make some businesses and institutions think twice.

Furthermore the WR campus is big so once you go beyond the Georgia Ave part and include those buildings on the interior of the site the distance grows. Using your map it seems the Main hospital building to Takoma Metro is more than the distance from Georgia Ave Metro to Col Hgts Metro. Forget the more western portions.